Nebraskaland Magazine
The crawdad – or commonly known as the crayfish, crawfish or mudbugs are smaller versions of lobsters and they taste just as good, only in a smaller package. Collecting crawdads, as I have called them since childhood, is an easy process if you know when and where to find them.
Every fall the canal system waters in southwest Nebraska are lowered for water conservation and/or canal repairs – leaving a smorgasbord of crawdads that can be harvested for a tasty meal.
Driving along the canal, crawdad connoisseurs will be looking for holes that still contain water – this is where crawdads may be found.
Equipment used to gather crawdads is simple; a net with small holes, waders or hip boots and a five gallon bucket.
Once a water hole is located crawdads will be easy to see – usually there are so many that they line the water and rocks of the drained canal as shown in the feature photo.
In good water holes filling a bucket takes only minutes.
When the collecting is done, it’s home to prepare the crawdads and enjoy.
For the rest of this story you’ll either have to do some research on your own or wait and read all my tips for gathering, cooking and eating crawdads in NEBRASKAland Magazine. I know, I know – that is quite a way to end this blog, but hey, maybe I’ll get you hooked into reading these blogs so you can learn more about what we have to offer on this site!
